Incoming cold storage facility expected to heat up ag industry
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Frigitek is expected to break ground on their incoming cold storage facility this summer.
“We just had a number of businesses that needed a ‘large freezer space,’ is how they asked for it,” said Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad.
Local farmers and food processors will be able to lease rooms for cold and freezer storage.
“Perhaps frozen potatoes, french fries or whatever form they’ve been processed into, we need that space to store them in to begin with,” said John Regetz with the Bannock Development Corporation.
The facility will be west of the Pocatello Regional Airport. Frigitek is drawn to the area because of Pocatello's access to interstate, freight and air travel.
“We’ve got air and rail, everything is just ideal for it and we’ve got an underutilized airport property, so this all seemed to come together at the right time,” Blad said.
The facility is expected to help the local ag industry reach across the nation and into other countries, Regetz said.
The development is expected to create about 40 full-time jobs. Frigitek is still in the engineering and planning phase of development, but Blad and Regetz expect to see more movement this summer.
